The Need for Mead on Long Island

WA Meadwerks, which opened September 2018, is the newest and only meadery on Long Island. Founded by Joseph Abruzzo and Roger Wanner, the taproom is located 26 West Hoffman in Lindenhurst.

Mead (wine made from honey) can be made with fruits, spices, and anything in between. The styles range from dry to sweet, typically gluten-free, with an ABV from 4.5% to 16%. WA Meadwerks encompasses these styles through the 16 meads available on tap including ResQmead (Raspberry & Strawberry), MitterNacht (off-dry Honey & Black currant aged with French Oak), and Black n Blue Pit O’misery (Blackberry & Blueberry with lactose).

Abruzzo was a mead enthusiast and homebrewer for almost two years before he decided to open up a business with his partner Wanner.

The name of the meadery holds a symbolic meaning to the owners. The “W” and “A” is an abbreviation of Wanner and Abruzzo, while the logo represents a Viking meaning: “Where there’s a Will, there’s a way.”

“Every time we came across a problem, we had to fix it or make things easier,” Abruzzo said. “When we were homebrewers, we ran into an issue with temperature control and built a glycol chiller from an air conditioning unit.”

Abruzzo says running his nano meadery has had some challenges.

“Being creative is hard. We have so many off-the-wall ideas, like making a Sour Mead, that sometimes finding balance is tough,” Abruzzo said. “And recently the government shut down has been difficult with us getting our recipe submissions approved.”

Despite common hurdles new businesses endure, WA Meadwerks is already planning for the future. The owners are currently making a chocolate mead, a currant mead, and a creamsicle mead.

WA Meadwerks is open Thursday through Sunday and self-distributes to select locations locally, with hopes to be available in more locations by this spring.